Visiting You
by Great Angemon
Summary: After the attack on the world trade center, Zelda visits Link's grave. There she finds a letter, and it leads her to an amazing discovery. A late 9/11 tribute. Never forget what happened that day.


Visiting You

By GreatAngemon

Two parts, including the beginning, will be letters, but not all of it. 9/11 tribute.

'Hey, so I guess I should have visited you sooner, but I just got a new job as a receptionist at NYU. I know you always said that we should go there, but I never got around to it.

Anyways, I just thought I should tell you. If I thought I could justify taking more time off, I would, but I can't. Ha, I'm sorry. I now you hate that word. Can't. Like you always said, can't doesn't mean cannot, it means will not.

My boss is really nice. Her name is Impa, and I guess her family is part Sheikah. Pretty cool, huh? But she said that I could have one Friday off a month special, just so I could come visit you. That's including my regular time off, like holidays and stuff.

But enough about that. I don't think it really matters, not after that day…

But you remember it better than I do, don't you? When we were walking down the street, and we saw the plane crash into the north tower. We thought it must have been an accident, but we still rushed over as fast as we could. Then another plane crashed. That's when I figured it out. You probably did too, but you wouldn't say it out loud. You were always trying to protect me from stuff like that.

But anyway, you ran inside, telling me to stay back, and I listened to you. I stood there, watching a building on fire collapse around you and so many innocent people. I stood there, hoping against hope that everybody would be safe.

I stood there, hoping that if nothing else happened, you would be safe, and you would come back to me.

And then you came back, and there was an unconscious woman around your shoulders. You set her down next to me, and then you ran back inside. You came back two more times, once with a man, and once with two children.

You almost made it out a fourth time, but then the building gave way. The doorway collapsed and you were trapped. I screamed. You shouted back that everything was going to be okay.

Hours later, I was told that you never made it out alive. I was told that you were dead. Sheik told me that your journey was over, but he was wrong.

It's like they say, death is just another great adventure. And like you always said, death doesn't hinder us, but moves us forward in life. But those people you saved, they were really sorry to hear about it. They wanted to thank you.

I told them, and the kids started crying. It was hard for me to be so stoic but I held myself up and shook their hands when they came to the wake. The funny thing was, no one ever found your body.

We gave you an empty casket burial, I guess you'd call it, and that was that. So, here we are again. With me visiting you grave for the first time since the funeral.

I should go now, because Sheik expected me home fifteen minutes ago.

Love always,

Zelda'

Zelda took her letter and put it in an envelope she had brought with her from the university. She sealed it and put it on the headstone of her best friend.

She thought again of the terrible day, and her eyes misted with unshed tears. She started walking away, and looked back over her shoulder, reading the tombstone.

_Link Avalon_

_Born: March 19, 1980 Died: September 1, 2001_

_Death does not take me prisoner, but embraces me with open arms, as a friend._

She blew a kiss at it, and waved. Then she turned back and walked away.

_One Month Later_

Zelda walked up to Link's headstone, and was surprised to see her letter was still there. She had expected someone to throw it away.

She picked it up, but it wasn't in her neat handwriting, but in an untidy scrawl she recognized as Link's. She tore open the envelope, expecting it to be some cruel joke, but it had the same writing inside.

'Yeah, you should have visited sooner, but that's alright. I'm just glad you came in the end.

Your new boss sounds interesting. She's really part Sheikah? And I'm glad she gives you the Friday off each month, I'd be lonely without you.

If you wouldn't mind, would you mind coming to the school to visit me? I know it sounds un-true, but I did manage to get out of the tower in time. I hurried a pregnant woman as far as I could from that horrible place. Ten blocks away I found a hospital, but they said she'd gone into labor early.

They told me that I needed to stay with her. That she needed support from someone, and that I was the one with her. So I couldn't even go back to help anyone else. I felt like I'd let everyone down.

But I'm being silly, I couldn't have saved everyone. So, I guess I'm telling you this so that you'd know why I was so late in getting back to everyone. The woman wanted me to stay with her. She got some nasty cuts and stuff from the attack, and she was in the hospital for awhile later.

So, I stayed with her.

Now I' coming back, but I need you. I need you to tell everyone what happened. I need you to help me adjust back into my usual life.

But most of all, I just need you. To hold you. To see you. To hug you. To smell you, always smelling like flowers.

I guess what I'm saying is, do you want me back. If you do, meet me back at the school gym tonight at eight.

Yours now and forever after

Link'

Zelda looked at the time on the letter. It had been put there earlier that day. She looked at her watch. It was three. She had five hours…

But Link was dead. She would never get to see him again. This was probably a cruel prank by someone who didn't like her.

She looked at the letter. It smelled like a forest. Like him. Surely there was no harm in just going to the gym. Even if it was just a prank, she could still go there. She would have time to think about her life before then.

_Five Hours Later_

Zelda walked through the halls, opening doors and remembering classes with Link. Chemistry, when Link had accidentally exploded a beaker, and they had had to take an emergency shower at the same time.

English, where Link had been spouting random Hylian phrases, getting detention. Even law, where Link had claimed Zelda as guilty, even thought the parts said that she was innocent.

Then she got to the gym, but hesitated opening the door. Link had always done that. Opened the door for her, and then he would bow to let her through, every gym class. Zelda sighed, and then opened the door.

And then she gasped. There was Link, looking just like she remembered him. He looked exactly like she remembered, except for a long scar going from his left eye and going down to his jaw. She walked up to him slowly, and then…

"Why'd you slap me?" Link asked, one hand on his recently abused cheek, the other up, defending him from another attack. But there was none. Zelda had broken into tears, and was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Link, why?" she choked out through her tears. "Why didn't you call me? Why did you leave me outside? Why didn't you just come home as soon as you could?" Then she was hugging hem, and he was hugging her back, and stroking her hair, and whispering soothing words of comfort into her ear.

"I'm so sorry," was all Link could say. He kissed her cheek, and Zelda looked into his eyes. Then she leaned forward, and…

"I'm so happy," she mumbled, her lips an inch from his.

"So am I," he replied, and he closed the last millimeter between them.


End file.
